Flying Away!

Well, I survived another year of Summer Camp (whew!) and I am actually going to GO on a vacation while I have some free time before school starts.  :)  So! I will be flying away to see my sister and we will take Texas by storm!  haHA!  That won't leave much time for blogging, but then again, you are used to not seeing me very much (I know, sad but true).  I will try to post some pictures if we have some down time and I will definitely reconnect once I get back.  Texas, here I come!   :)

And if you are concerned about my boys, wish them luck.  I am leaving John home with the kitties for over a week!  Hopefully they can feed themselves and no one gets hungry enough to eat somebody else.....

New Species of Bird

Several months ago, I put up a bird feeder in our backyard.  I mainly wanted to entertain the kitties, but it was spring and why not feed the birds (it's only tuppence a bag).  I covered all the bases and put up a finch feeder, a hummingbird feeder, a suet block, and a general "wild bird" feeder.  Well, since then, there has been a very fat something eating the wild bird seed very quickly.  I always thought we had a family of squirrels or raccoons eating in our backyard-- you know, the usual bird feeder guests.  Then, the other day I come home and happen to look out the window and see who had really been visiting us!!

Now, my question is: are deer cute enough that I continue feeding it, or should I take steps to try to deter it from eating out of my bird feeder?

Adventures in Adulthood

You know how they say, "You're only as old as you feel"? I think there should be some kind of secondary statement that goes something like, "You're only as old as the stuff you get excited about." Don't believe me? Observe:
     small child - excited over poop jokes and bright colors
     teenager - excited over cars and hanging out with friends
     young adult - excited over parties and "college"
     middle aged - excited over children's poop and paying bills
     geriatric - excited over finding keys and spoiling grandchildren

See how things change? I personally have entered the stage where I get excited about home improvements, to whit, ceiling fans.  I'm not sure if that puts me in the "responsible home-owners" category or in the "give up now because your life is super boring" category. Haha! But nevertheless, I am super excited about my ceiling fans. ^_^

The whole story is pretty long, but to boil it down for you: when we moved into the townhouse, I wanted to add more ceiling fans... because I was raised in the South and all rooms need fans, I guess.  (I don't ask why.)  So, for the past 2years I have been on the hunt for fans, but have never really committed to anything specific. I did pick out a few models that I liked, but never could get over the huge price tag of buying three fans at once. Well, over the holiday weekend, I went online with the purest intentions of showing Mom what I had picked out, and what should pop up but the big SALE banner. Of course it was for the fans, and of course it ended within 24 hours. I was not planning on buying fans this weekend, but when the sale saved me more than $100, how could I resist? So I surprised John by leaving for the weekend with a small duffel bag and coming home with three ceiling fans.

I am actually surprised that John has been so gung ho about installing them. I guess he recognizes Crazy when he sees it and wants to avoid Angry Fan-less Crazy. (I've always known he is smart.)  We did have some adventures in the attic that lead me towards a deep hatred of blown insulation. (Scene-- John: "Just step on the studs." Anne: "WHERE THE HELL ARE THE STUDS?! EVERYTHING IS COVERED IN 8inches OF CRAP!") And we realized a long time ago that the builders/ previous owners love dimmer switches and that CFL bulbs hate them, but recently found that apparently ceiling fans hate dimmers, too. The first fan was making awful noises until we got the switch swapped out, and I was quite grumpy until we got it fixed.

Well, we did manage to get the second fan up tonight, which leaves us only with the fan that goes in the basement (which we need a ladder to install because the ceiling is much taller).  I am very pleased and hope that this will cut down on the "pockets" of dead air we get in our house.  I have definitely noticed that air is hard to move through a skinny, tall house.  We have several dead spots that don't circulate very well.  But hopefully, no more!

Question...

Do I have a sign on my back that says, "Take my stuff"?  I cannot remember a time when I had something stolen from me* in more than a quarter century on this earth (*a time when I know it was stolen, not just when I misplaced it and thought someone took it), and yet in the last three weeks, I've had my credit card number stolen and now someone at the gym took my headphones.  I'm pretty pissed off to say the least. 

And I'm not mad because of the financial reasons of having to replace the stolen items... because I haven't really lost anything of great value; I don't have to replace a TV or a car.  But that is exactly why I'm mad: who really goes out of their way to steal low-in-value items?  I mean, a pair of nice headphones can be had for only $20; if you're pinching pennies, I think Wal-Mart stocks some for $10 (They actually have some for $7.11).  So, seriously? A whopping eight dollars after tax?  If that person at the gym today came up to me and asked for money to buy headphones, I probably would have given him some.  But no.  The jackass has to take mine, now I get to spend the time and effort to replace them.  Was he purposefully thinking of inconveniencing me?


Additional information that makes the situation even more confusing:
--The thief at the gym moved aside my prescription sunglasses and unplugged the headphones from my smart phone in order to take them.  Really?  You passed over two expensive items to steal a pair of headphones? 
--Would you take someone else's IN THE EAR headphones?  I mean, that's a little gross. I'm not saying that my ears are full of crusty nastiness, but I wouldn't want to stick something in my ear that has been in someone else's ear. (blech!)
--I live in s VERY strong Christian town and my headphones were taken from the YMCA.  Is there a special hell for people who break a Commandment... in the Bible Belt... while in a building with "Christian" in the name?  Just askin'.



.... I WANT TO FEEL SAFE AGAIN, YOU JERKS!! I want to think that there are good people in the world and that not EVERYbody is out to get what they can, no matter what happens to others.  I want to believe that I can leave my stuff in a cubby at the gym and not get ripped off.  I want to think that people are good and nice and friendly, and that they are not two-faced, selfish bastards.  And most importantly, I want to kick the headphone thief right in the nuts!  (Or, not to be sexist, I want to pop the female thief right on the nose.)

ARRRGGHH!

I was so mad yesterday I was not fit to talk to!  It all started Thursday at the optometrist's when my credit card was declined.  I was confused, but the lady said that their credit card machine doesn't always accept Credit Union cards.  Weird, but whatever.  Then, yesterday I was running errands and my card was declined again!  The cashier was very nice about it, but I was financially embarrassed and getting a little annoyed.  Once time is a freak accident, but twice is becoming a pattern.  So, I called the bank and the customer service lady politely explained that there was a fraudulent charge and they canceled my card.  Way to let me know, bank!!  Thanks a lot for your prompt communication... three weeks after the fraud, I have to call you to figure out why I have no more credit card.   >:(

I can only get so angry at the bank because she told me that the fraudulent charge was for the Tahiti Club (motel) in Indiana.... so someone did steal my card number and then tried to check into a sleazy motel with it.  Gah!  Now, I have to go to every Internet account where I have a credit card saved and change it, re-enter the bills that post to my credit card, and (worst of all) memorize a new number!  I've had my credit card number memorized for the longest time and it was so nice.  Now I have to change everything because of some schmuck who wanted a free stay at the Tahiti Club!  I'd really love to meet this guy and kick him hard right in the naughty bits!!

The plus side, I guess, is that I can't spend any money for the next 7-10 days while I wait for the new card to arrive.  That, and my bank was able to protect me from a fraudulent charge.  Not much of a consolation, but I'm trying to find the silver lining in all of this.

Going Underground!

For those of you that don't know, there has been a recent infectious fungus up & down the East Coast (from Canada to the Carolinas) that is decimating the bat populations.  Scientists are working very hard to figure out how White Nose Syndrome is killing the bats, how it is spreading, and how we can stop it.  This has been a major concern for the speleological society because WNS kills up to 100% of the bat population that it reaches.  Little Brown Bats (the most common species we see around here) have mortality rates over 90%.  :(   For several years now, entire cave systems have been shut down to prevent humans spreading WNS between caves to new bat populations.  However, regulations have been created that will allow cave entrance once again (YAY!), providing there is strict cleaning and disinfecting of gear between cave trips. 

(UPDATE:  WNS has been confirmed as far west as Ohio and Kentucky within the last few months!)

Obviously, the Girl Scout caving program has suffered because of WNS.  We have been shut down for about three years now, but the new cleaning regulations are allowing us to start trips once again.  Of course, we are essentially rebuilding the program from scratch:  we had to re-establish contact with the cave owners and see who was allowing visitors; our girl members have scattered to the winds (as well as some adults); and, as luck would have it, our main recruiting workshop event was canceled this year due to bad weather.  All this resulted in a trip this weekend with 12 girls and 25 adults.  Haha!!  All of us adults were so excited that we ALL signed up even though there were not enough girls.

First - The Bad News- My group of girls was supposed to be the "Junior Staff in Training" group.... the girls who are old enough & experienced enough to help the younger girls.  Usually, at full capacity, each group of cavers has 2 adults, 1 junior staff, and about 5 girls.  However, my girls are nowhere near responsible enough to help lead others.  There was little motivation, exploration, or personal responsibility seen all weekend.  That's not to say they didn't have fun; but they would have had probably as much fun in the mall back home.  It didn't matter to them that they were in a cave at all.  :( 

Now, The Good News:
1. Got to see the "second family" once again.  There were even some of the now-college girls that came back!  (That's Mom's favorite part about our caving program: you get to see the girls mature from bratty 12-year-olds to responsible junior staff & college ladies.)

We had a retroactive high school graduation ceremony for them since they missed it.  Each spring, the soon-to-be-graduates get caving mortarboards and a ceremony.

2.  In the adventures to get permission to enter caves again, we actually got some "new" caves opened up to us.  My group went into Norman on Friday.... and Norman has been closed to the public for about 10years!!  I haven't been in it since *I* was a girl in the program.  I even made the brave leap to take my camera in with me and got some good pictures.

The funny thing about the picture of the water dripping into a rimstone pool is that I have (somewhere) the exact same picture from 10years ago!  Haha!  Some things just stay the same I guess.

3.  On Saturday, my group went into Lost World Caverns, owned by friends of ours.  The front section of the cave is made into a commercial tour with lights and handrails and such, but the back part is open for "wild" tours.  Unfortunately, my camera pooped out on me and died that morning, so I have no pictures of that GORGEOUS cave. Seriously, if you are ever in Lewisburg, WV, go check out Lost World.  It is sooooooo pretty!

4.  I got new toys to try out this trip!  Now that I am a adult on these trips, I have to carry more supplies and emergency gear.  My old pack is still usable, but just not big enough, so I upgraded my pack.  I also got a hose to connect to my Platypus water packs to try a "hydration system" rather than just water bottles.  Then, I used the rainy weather as an excuse to wear my cute new rain boots!  Squee!  Overall, everything worked splendidly for me and I really liked all the changes!  (However, the downside to having a sippy-hose for your water is that you drink more and really stress your bladder by the end of the day!)

Walkies!

For Martin's Christmas 2010 present, we got him a harness and leash.  Now, I've never taken a cat outside on a leash before, but Martin is so persistent about escaping that we figured, "At least he'll be supervised this way and won't get hit by a car."

We didn't take him out too much .... because it was winter and cold.... but Martin quickly showed us that he didn't care about wearing a harness when he was outside exploring the Great Unknown!  We never make it very far into the Great Unknown; Martin's winter record was three doors away from ours.  Haha.  He moves very slowly when he stops to smell every bush and perk up at every noise around him.

    

(Lara loves those pictures because John is so tall and Martin is such a tiny cat.  She thinks it's hysterical.)

Anyway! Now that it is getting a bit warmer, I took him out again.  We very quickly beat our old record, making it FIVE doors down the road!  Whoa!  But then Martin got distracted again.... this time by a tree.  And I guess that a kitty will eventually do what all kitties love to do when they see a tree.  (Sigh)

    

Yes, I was terrified that the little goober would lose his balance, fall out of the tree, and choke himself on the leash.  I kept a very careful eye on him and how his harness was trying to wrap around the tree.  But I couldn't help but marvel at his determination and sense of adventure.  The owner of the tree who's yard we were in, of course, came home while we were exploring.  Thankfully, he was okay about us trespassing (not like some cranky pants would be) and just said, "I've never seen a cat on a leash before."  We shared a laugh as he went into his house.  I had to call it a day when Martin wanted to explore where our neighbor was going.  Silly boy, we are trespassers, not cat burglars!  Haha!

"OOH! What's over there?"

Kitchen Updates!

Our old microwave finally bit the big weenie the other week.  It was slowly falling apart in various ways, but when I tried to open the door one day and the handle came off in my hand.... Yeah, it was time. We lived with the "stumpy" handle for a while until I finally picked out the new model -- i.e., opened up Consumer Reports and bought the recommended brand.  :)

I worked late today and when I called home, John's dad answered and said that they were installing the new microwave right then.  "Yay!" I thought to myself.  "I still have to go to the grocery store, maybe I will have a new microwave installed by the time I come back.  How long can it really take them?"  Well... when I came home around dinner time, the kitchen was totally taken apart and John's mom informed me that they hadn't even made the obligatory trip to Lowe's yet!  (Haven't you noticed that all home repair projects need at least one trips to Lowe's?)  Ugh!  I was so discouraged! 

I shouldn't be too hard on the menfolk, though, because they did all the work and made my kitchen look fabulous again!  I am excited about the new microwave; it's a serious upgrade from the one that came with our house, so I hope I won't make too many things explode before I get the hang of it.  :)

New Toy SQUEEEEE!

First, let me sum up my absences:  I had a few weeks of vacation at the beginning of August... and I took it!  I was a waste of organic matter, resting and relaxing without any responsibilities.  Then, we took a week to visit family in Florida for my grandfather's 90th birthday party.  Not as relaxing, but not as stressful as it could have been either.  (John *loves* going to see my extended family; it shows him that I am one of the saner and more rational people in my gene pool.  Heehee.)

While in Florida, Mother and I opted to use our cell phone upgrades and get something fancy.  I have been suffering with extreme phone-envy since John got his Droid many moons ago, and Mother was finally caving to the lure of the smartphone.  I got the Motorola Droid X and Mom got the HTC Droid Incredible.

Can I get this out of my system?  ... SQQQQUUUUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Ok, I'm better now.  Seriously, this phone is slick!  I am slowly moving my way through all the settings and functions, but I think I can say now that I am enthralled with this phone!  I don't want to sound like just another review, but I highly recommend this phone to someone who is looking for serious fun.  Maybe it's just a symptom of upgrading from a Blackberry (which is probably the LEAST intuitive operating system out there), but I am really enjoying the Droid X.

Next step: choosing a skin for my phone.  I'm not really liking any of the cases I see, and as I suffer from "black phone in a black purse" syndrome, I need something to brighten up the casing of my phone.  There are several on ebay that I like, but I can't choose!  So indecisive!    :)

Hello Again!

Well, it's been a grueling seven weeks, but I have once again survived Summer Camp.  For those of you confused about my absence for two months, I work with the local community service board providing Therapeutic Day Treatment for children in the school system.  During the summer, we run a day camp to continue services to these kids.  Yes, it all sounds like a bunch of fun when you think back to your own childhood summer camp adventures.... but you were the camper then, not the counselor.  Now, with that mental adjustment, also think of being a counselor to children who are medically diagnosed with hyperactivity and defiance disorders (among various others as well).  Let's just say, it's about four tons of stress in a two-pound bag.  Not to slander our kids too much, I should admit that the "good" days can be lots of fun; we take them swimming and to the skating rink, do crafts, and watch movies.  But when our kids decide to have "bad" days.... (shudder).  'Nuff said.  On top of all that, our days are MUCH longer than we get paid for and we don't get any  breaks at all.  (Because if you scamper off to use the restroom, who is watching the kids now?)  Having not done any marathons personally, I can only liken it to running the Iditarod... without dogs.... or shoes.... or sleep... while still trying to maintain "therapeutic" reactions to the children's bad attitudes.

That being explained, I AM NOW FREE!!!  I only have to work this upcoming week, then I can use my overtime to take a long vacation.  And then school starts at the end of August.  Woohoo!  Who would've thought that a person would be happy to see the school year approaching?  Haha.

Little Brother Marty

         

Winks really zizzed me off today.  Two unprovoked attacks, plus numerous moments of defiance and refusal to submit to my authority ("mah  ah-thor-i-tay!") just pushed my over the edge.  He's been doing fairly well controlling his biting for the past week or so, but today he's ripped up my arm anew.  John scruffed him, dragged him upstairs, and shut the door, saying that Winks needed to behave because he couldn't listen to me fussing anymore.  Yeah..... not a good morning.  Winks has definitely reverted to his "bite-o-saurus" ways.

We had a deal that if Winks wouldn't stop biting us despite other training methods, then we would get him a friend in June.  He came from a house with dogs that he played roughly with, so we thought he just had lots of energy and poor sportsmanship.  However, in light of today's set-back, I dragged John to our Petsmart (it has a Humane Society adoption center in it) to get a friend a little earlier than expected.  There were maybe a dozen cats, but only a few were labeled "good with other cats" ... and two were sadly mislabeled.  That left us with a skinny little ginger tabby, about 6months old, named Marty. 

Marty has spent a good but of his time today attacking feather-mouse.

Marty definitely likes people, loves to rub up on you, and was indifferent to the various cats who hissed at him (we wanted to prove the "good with cats" label before we brought anyone home).  He's got a few fleas and could stand to have some weight put on him, but otherwise, they say he is healthy.  We'll take him to the vet as soon as we can get an appointment next week.

Who is that handsome kitty behind me?

As I write this, Marty is sequestered away upstairs.  We're trying to do this introduction the right way so that Winks and Marty will get along.  This whole thing is to acquire Winks a friend who will mellow him out; it's not worth it if the two felines don't play well with each other.  Can everyone pray / keep their fingers crossed for me that this crazy plan works?  I am irrationally stressed out about it all.

How often do you get the freeze-frame shot of the kitty eating something?  Everyone say, "Bleh!"

ha HA!

Aaaaannnd this is what I did on Mother's Day. No, really, I called my mother, too, don't worry.  But I did spend most of the day playing Warf Rescue, determined to finally get my gold trophy.  Apparently, May is my month, as everyone sucked and my not-so-great score DOMINATED everyone else!  MWAHAHAHAHA!  I am the Warf Rescue Grand Champion!

Me = Pickiness

Yay! John and I went engagement ring-shopping today to see how hard I am to shop for... or something like that.  Whatever.  Anyway, we found three so far that I like. 


At Kay:

Kay was a little hard to find something for me because I'm not totally sold on having diamonds down the sides of the band.  I like the plainer bands to accentuate the stones better, rather than hiding the main stone in the midst of the all this crap on the band.  Eh.  Personal preferences.

And at Zales, there were two that I liked:

 This is a solitaire with a wrap-around do-dah.  Just enough to be different from a regular solitaire.

 This is a three-stone that has swooshy thingies coming up from the band to form the setting.  Again, plainer (i.e. not tacky), but just a little unusual.  I find that I am walking the fine line between "plain and boring" and "god-awful tacky & decadent."  Sigh.  I want it to be unique but not horrific.  Is that too much to ask?

FINALLY!!!

A day I thought would never arrive is finally here!  We received our IRS New Home-Buyer Credit today!!!  WOO HOOO!!! It only took 270 days!  (I submitted my 2008 Tax Return Amendment on July 7, 2009.  8-12 weeks, my ass!)

I guess what makes it all worthwhile (besides finally getting the government to do what they said they were going to do) is the fact that we got about $300 interest as well.  Almost as if the IRS admits that it took them a long-ass time to get a check mailed out to us.  And it pays for the new tires I've been needing for several months!

:D

Can I Get a "WOOT WOOT!" ?

Every month, Neopets keeps track of the high scores for each of their games.  Since it's a lazy Saturday, I've been playing around with trying to get on the leader boards of some of my better games.  Aaaaaannnnd... SUCCESS!  I am #41 out of all the roughly 175,112,611 Neopets owners/payers!  (statistic found by dividing 262,668,917 Neopets total by 1.5, the average number per person).  And don't you go bursting my bubble by saying, "Oh, Warf Rescue only has 10million plays; obviously not all 175million players are doing it."  I will put my hands over my ears and go "lalalalala,"  'cuz I am still #41 this month!!

And I was told that spending so much time playing dumb games on the computer never paid off.   :)

WOOT WOOT!

E is for Eulogy

 

Mr. Harvey Jones, Jr., my fluffy boy

2002? - 3/5/2010

It is with a heavy heart and red, puffy eyes that I blog today.  I sadly inform you that we had to put our kitty to sleep this morning.  I came down to make breakfast, and he wasn't there waiting for me.  I found Harvey stuck in his litterbox because he no longer had use of his back legs.  John rushed him to the emergency vet and I soon followed.  The vet told us that Harvey apparently had a heart murmur, and his age had caused his heart to fail.  This threw a blood clot into his veins that lodged in an artery and shut off blood to his back legs.  The prognosis wasn't good and they said it was painful for him as well.  With strenuous fluids & medicine, he had about a 5-10% chance of recovering the use of his legs.  If the treatment didn't kill him, and if he recovered, he would need lots of physical therapy and home care for the rest of his life.  It was a lot of "ifs" and a lot of pain for him, so we made the hard decision.  We buried him in a sunny spot so his old bones would be warm.

(L) The Men-folk are bonding.  (R) "What? You mean you didn't get this extra bed for me?"

All I can say is that we will miss him terribly.  He was *MY* cat, not my family's, and I love him.  I only got 18months with him, but he will always be the one for me.  Two summers ago, just as I moved out here to the mountains, John's family found one of their outdoor cats badly beaten up and infected.  They took him to the vet, saw the worst case of earmites ever, and found out he had FIV (feline AIDS).  The vet was reluctant to treat a "stray," but John's parents insisted that he get well again.  If you remember, 2008 was the release of The Dark Knight, and John's family laughingly said that the cat looked like "Old Two-Face" Harvey Dent because his face was split open on one side.  Somehow the name stuck.  Harvey was recuperating in the garage when I moved in.  I instantly saw a kitty that need loving and introduced him to the wonders of head-rubbin's and a brush.  I spent a lot of time in that garage that summer.  When he no longer smelled like a toilet (he was pretty infected and gross), I moved him into our apartment and refused to release him back into the yard.  John would open the door for him and try to shoo him back outside, but my feminine charms were too strong for Harvey.  He would sit and look out into the yard, sometimes he'd go visit with the other kitties, but he always came back (I might have called him back a few times).

 

(L) Grey Momma, Handsome Kitty, Mangy Kitty, and Harvey.  He's so pretty compared to the outdoor kitties.  (R) Harvey officially deciding he likes it inside!

Harvey quickly adapted to life in the apartment, developed a love a strings, and added a little something to our lives with his squeaky purr and bald spot (the fur never grew back fully on his face from his original injury). We laughed that we had to keep him because he was so defective, no one else would want him.  But the truth is, I would have him no other way.  Every little thing about him was special and made him mine, from his missing teeth, to his toe fluff, to his curly tail.

Oddly enough, for a knitter I had little trouble convincing him that he had "his strings" and I had mine.  I made him several "yarn monsters" that he was allowed to chase around the house, and he was content with them.  He also knew that when I was playing with my strings, he was not allowed in my lap (but he sure could squeeze into the small area next to me on the couch, see below).  I have yet to meet a cat that can differentiate between his strings and mine and won't make a mess of your knitting.

And let's not forget the itchy skin episode where he was put in a t-shirt for several months.  What cat do you know would tolerate being in a shirt?!?  I told you I had the best cat ever.  I think he knew how lucky he was living inside with me, a self-proclaimed Crazy Cat Lady.  He just wanted to be with you and to share some loving.  That was enough to make him happy.  Even John slowly came over to Team Harvey, though he was not initially up for having a cat in the house.  He was my mellow, cuddle-boy, and he could worm his way into your lap and your heart fairly easily. 

(L) "Fine, don't move over on the couch.  See if I care.  I'll sit up here.  No, really, I'm fine.  I like it up here."  (R) "Ooooooh, I love belly rubs! More please!"

 If you are reading this, turn around right now and hug those that you love.  Harvey was fine (if underweight) these past few days, and we had no idea that our time with him was so short.  Not to sound trite, but life moves quickly and we don't really know how fortunate we are to have somebody that loves us, whether they leave the seat up, shed on your clothes, or dig in your flower garden.  Be nice to the people and the fuzzies you love; you don't know how long you have with them.

R.I.P, Mr. Jones.  I will always love you.

Blackberry Fun

Well, it all started Friday at work when my coworker (who has the same model phone as I) and I were talking about finding a St Patrick’s Day theme for our Blackberries.  We both had awesome Holiday themes for December and were ready for a new one, since are the kind of crazy person who likes to change out decorations every holiday season.  My coworker had transferred to a generic theme in January, while I had been holding on to my holiday one since it was snowflake-based and not Christmas-based (have you noticed we’ve gotten like 6feet of snow on the east coast?).  But since it’s getting just a little bit warmer, I have finally decided to remove the snowflake theme and find a good one for March.  Well, let me tell YOU!  St Patrick’s Day is not so popular that it warrants free themes for phones!  Christmas and Valentine’s Day are all over the internet, but nooooooo, not St Patrick’s Day.

I started the search immediately after I got home from the gym Friday afternoon … and finally got it working around 10pm!  I kid you not!  Over 5hrs.

The up-side is that I smile every time I see my phone theme, I have learned a bunch about downloading stuff to my phone (formats and all that), and I found about 5 more themes and half a dozen games as well!  A very frustrating 5hrs, but I came out with a good haul at the end of it.

Rar! I am Beast!

I know you all haven’t gotten much updating of my adventures in the gym, but I feel it is necessary to post today because I hit a big milestone: I can dead-lift 205 lbs!  Woohoo! Now, in honesty, I lifted 205 a while ago, but fell over just a little bit.   :)   Fletcher said that it sort-of counted because I got it off the ground, but it was a bad pull.  But today I did three singles fairly easily!  Fletcher says that since I did three, if I exerted all my energy once, then I probably could pull 225lbs.   :0   Craziness!  Though, he laughs at me because I can pull 205, but I still cannot do a pull-up on my own (on the assist machine I only use like 25lbs of counter weight, but I totally fail on my own). Conclusion: If I were to fall down a hole, I wouldn't be able to pull myself out.  But if John collapses on the floor, I can carry him to the car.  Haha!

Completed Island!

Woohoo!  Mark came by today and brought our island top!  Yes, those previous pictures were purposefully like that.  He wanted to bring the base by ASAP so that they wouldn't get scratched in his warehouse, even though the top was not ready yet.  But now we are complete!  It is sooooo awesome!  :)  Mark says that the wooden top is unstained, but will darken with use & time, so it will become a closer match to our existing cabinets.  He gave us a treatment/ polishing oil to use when it becomes scuffed up and funky.

 

And to increase the beach-dork humor, we are calling it "Greenland" because it is now the biggest island in the world!

The top is six inches wider than the base; we were planning on making an over-hang on the side away from the sink.  We haven't officially decided if we want small bar stools on that side, but we have talked about it.  We kinda like the idea of making a "breakfast perch" area where you could talk to the person in the kitchen, but be out of the way, or to rest a moment and stuff food in your face before leaving.  That, though, will wait while we test out the new placement of the island in the kitchen and see if we really want/ need stools.